aesthetic

Definition of aesthetic

1a: of, relating to, or dealing with aesthetics or the beautiful <aesthetic theories>b:artistic<a work of aesthetic value>c: pleasing in appearance :attractive<easy-to-use keyboards, clear graphics, and other ergonomic and aesthetic features — Mark Mehler>

2: appreciative of, responsive to, or zealous about the beautiful; also: responsive to or appreciative of what is pleasurable to the senses

esthetically

Related to aesthetic

Examples of aesthetic in a sentence

My generation has an annoying penchant for treating luxuries as necessities and turning guilty pleasures into aesthetic and even moral touchstones. —Terrence Rafferty, GQ, October 1997

Whereas the essence of Proust's aesthetic position was contained in the deceptively simple yet momentous assertion that “a picture's beauty does not depend on the things portrayed in it.” —Alain de Botton, How Proust Can Change Your Life, 1997

I suppose that jazz listening and prizefight watching are my two most passionate avocations, and this is largely so because the origins of my aesthetic urges are in the black working class. —Gerald Early, “The Passing of Jazz's Old Guard: …”, in The Best American Essays 1986, Elizabeth Hardwick & Robert Atwan, editors, 1986

Other Fine Arts Terms

aesthetic

Definition of aesthetic

1plural but sing or plural in constr: a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation of beauty

2: a particular theory or conception of beauty or art : a particular taste for or approach to what is pleasing to the senses and especially sight <modernist aesthetics><staging new ballets which reflected the aesthetic of the new nation — Mary Clarke & Clement Crisp>

3plural: a pleasing appearance or effect :beauty<appreciated the aesthetics of the gemstones>

aesthetically

Medical Dictionary

aesthetic

Medical Definition of aesthetic

: done or made to improve a person's appearance or to correct defects in a person's appearance <aesthetic plastic surgery><Dentists are still drilling and filling, but the fastest growing part of the practices are aesthetic procedures, such as bleaching teeth and using tooth-colored material for fillings …—Sarah Skidmore, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2005>